Lynett ’08 Delivers Address at Suffolk Law School Commencement

Christopher Lynett ’08 delivered an address at the Suffolk Law School graduation. His address begins at approximately 1 hour and 14 minutes into the video.

Christopher Lynett ’08 delivered an address to Suffolk Law School’s graduating class of 2013 after receiving his Juris Doctor degree from the school on May 20. Lynett studied political science at Holy Cross, and was joined on the Suffolk stage by Chris Matthews ’67, who was presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

In his address, Lynett invoked a sense of purpose and responsibility to his fellow classmates. He began, “I knew from a young age I was destined to be a lawyer.” Then referencing the motivation behind practicing law, he said, “I am sure many of us came to law school to help people. What I learned through my time here at Suffolk … is that people need brave lawyers to tell their stories.”

Referencing the recent Boston Marathon tragedy, Lynett highlighted the bravery of local residents, first responders and marathon runners. Nodding to the collective strength of these witnesses, he noted that their resiliency and courage mirrors the nature of law. “People. That’s what the law is,” Lynett said.

Continuing to draw inspiration from the marathon response, Lynett urged his peers to boldly traverse our nation’s complicated contemporary terrain, even in the face of complex law and politics. “We are not first responders,” he said, “but we can bravely share the stories that need to be told — represent unpopular clients and unwanted causes. …. Make your mark on our laws; our collective story; our national soul.”